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Clinton and Berman argue cuts to IR budget would be "devastating" to national security

Tue, 03/01/2011 - 18:41 — Mark Overmann

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee this morning, arguing in support of a robust International Affairs Budget and saying that the cuts to the Department of State budget included in the House’s recently passed bill, H.R. 1, would be “devastating to our national security”:

“There have always been moments of temptation in our country to resist obligations beyond our borders. But each time we have shrunk from global leadership, events have summoned us back, often cruelly, to reality.

“…Generations of Americans, including my own, have grown up successful and safe because we chose to lead the world in tackling the greatest challenges. We invested the resources to build up democratic allies and vibrant trading partners. And we did not shy away from defending our values, promoting our interests, and seizing the opportunities of each new era.”

In his own remarks at the hearing, Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-CA) argued forcefully in support of funding for the International Affairs Budget and against what he termed the “reckless cuts” in H.R. 1:

“Although the International Affairs Budget makes up only 1 percent of the entire federal budget, it funds some of the most essential elements of our national security.

“America’s national security depends not only on our men and women in uniform, but also on the diplomats and aid workers who risk their lives every day to support America’s interests abroad.”